A Solid Plan
by niraD
Summary: What you plan and what takes place may not be exactly the same. Here's another take on the events at the museum, starting with the revelation of Judy and Nick's plan.
1. A Solid Plan

"Never goes smooth. How come it never goes smooth?"  
– Malcolm Reynolds ( _Firefly_ , "Safe")

* * *

"Blood, blood, blood, and... death."

The fox relaxed and smiled. Backing away from the melodramatic bunny, he quipped, "All right, you know you're milking it. Besides, I think we got it."

Offering his smiling friend a paw, he continued, shouting into the darkness overhead, "I think we got it! We got it up there! Thank you, yakety yak! You laid it all out beautifully!"

 _Click-click._ "Are you looking for the serum? Well, it's right here," the fox explained.

Leaning on Nick for support, Judy chimed in, "What you've got in the weapon there, those are blueberries, from my family's farm!"

Nick continued taunting the petite ewe. "Mmm... They are delicious. You should try—"

 _Pfft!_ "Ow! What was thuh... Whuh... No-o-o!" Eyes wide, the fox collapsed, his body again taut.

As the fox fell, the injured bunny lost her balance and stumbled, sprawling across artificial plants and the stuffing from a prehistoric deer display. He glared at her, struggling to shout, "Jude!... Run! Awuh!... Ruh!... Way!" With a quiet groan, he turned his head.

"No, no, no! Please, no!" the bunny pleaded. "Nick, please don't do this! Please, no!"

A malicious sing-song echoed overhead. "Clever, clever bunny. But not clever enough. Too bad I had more darts, huh?"

* * *

Suddenly, he pounced. His speed caught her off guard, and she desperately jumped away, shrieking in pain as her injured leg buckled. She tumbled roughly across the floor, barely noticing the deep scratches down her arm.

Her eyes scanned the display pit, looking for an exit, for somewhere to hide, for a way up, for... for Nick. Where was he? Where did he go?

Ears alert, she listened for any sign of him, for any indication of the next attack, for her friend. She heard whispering... whispering and hooves overhead. But where was Nick?

Too late, she felt his claws on her back. She rolled, tucking her good leg between her and the fox, kicking him away as hard as she could.

Again he was gone. No, not gone. Stalking her. Hunting her. Trying to kill her. Because of Bellwether.

Judy stifled an anguished scream.

* * *

A uniformed tiger burst through the door. "Mayor Bellwether, where..." The snarls and shrieks echoing from the display pit answered the officer's unfinished question.

"Officer Hopps is trapped down there! With a savage fox!" As several other officers ran in, the wide-eyed ewe continued, "Please! Please help Officer Hopps!"

Her plea was answered by a final shriek, a sickening snap, and then silence. "Oh, no! You're too late!" she lamented.

Chief Bogo broke the silence, "Wolford, the paramedics are on the way. Escort them in. Trunkaby, Grizzoli, Delgato,... McHorn,..."

No one moved. The chief blinked his eyes, then opened his mouth again.

"And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way." The recorded voice was unmistakable. All eyes turned towards the mayor, then towards the display pit, the source of the recorded sound. Bellwether turned to flee, only to face a wall of enormous officers.

"What are you gonna do? Kill me?" the recording resumed. "Oh, ho, ho. No, of course not. He is! _Pfft!_ "

"Dawn Bellwether, you are under arrest."

* * *

"Mmmm..." Everything felt so strange, so distant.

"Mmmm..." And dark... Why was it so dark? Even at night, he should see something.

"Mr. Wilde, please try not to move." The unfamiliar voice sounded so far away. "Mr. Wilde, if you can hear me, please just relax and try not to move. You're in the hospital, Mr. Wilde. The doctor will be here soon to explain your condition, and your treatment. We're taking good care of you, Mr. Wilde."

"Mmmm..." The hospital? Why was he in the hospital? The last thing he remembered was...

"Mmm-mmm! Mmm-mmm!" He had to know. Was Judy okay? What had he done to her? Had he killed her? Had he... eaten her?

"Please, Mr. Wilde. Please calm down. You're safe now."

"Mmm-mmm! Mmm-mmm!" Why couldn't she understand? Why couldn't he talk?

"Mr. Wilde, please. You're safe now. Please calm down. You're safe. Everything will be fine."

A soft paw touched his arm. A familiar paw. And a familiar voice spoke softly, "It's okay, Nick. You're going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay."

He suddenly felt lighter, so much lighter, as his worst fear floated away.

"Mmm-mmm?" She was here. She was alive. He hadn't killed her.

"Thank you, Officer Hopps. I'll call the doctor."

"Welcome back, Nick," Judy's voice continued. "It's been a while. You... We... I... Nick, I'm so sorry."

"Mmm-mmm?" What did she have to be sorry about?

"Yes, it's me. It's Judy. I'm here, Nick. I'm right here," the bunny continued, gently caressing his arm. "And thank you. We did it. We stopped Bellwether. And the Night Howler antidote works. Well, I mean, obviously it works. But I just saw Mr. and Mrs. Otterton, and now you're back, and soon the others, and... and... Nick, I am so, so sorry."

"Mmm-mmm?" What wasn't she telling him?

"Nick, I tried not to hurt you. I really, really tried. But you were... You almost... And I... I broke your jaw, Nick. That's why it's wired shut. And your eyes should be fine once the bandages come off. And the concussion. And, well, everything else. And... and... I'm... I..." The bunny sobbed, desperately clutching his paw in both of her own.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm..." The fox gently drew her paws closer.

Judy wiped her tears on her forearm. "But hey, maybe we can go through rehab together."

"Mmm-mmm?!"

* * *

Notes:

I've read a few stories that offer alternatives to the movie's version of the events at the museum. This is mine. I didn't think things would go quite according to Judy and Nick's plan. But at the same time, I didn't think Nick would/could kill Judy, or that Bellwether would/should win.

Thanks to nburgin for his prepublication comments, which were extremely helpful in polishing this story.

While discussing unfinished versions of this story with nburgin, I ended up with an image in my head: a _Firefly_ scene with _Zootopia_ characters replacing the humans. That mental image grew into a full-fledged plot bunny (no pun intended), which was the beginning of "Zootopia That Was", my _Zootopia-Firefly_ crossover.


	2. Epilogue

"Mr. Wilde, are you awake?" the now-familiar voice inquired.

Nick opened his eyes and looked up at the deer, who was wearing nursing scrubs. He smiled, then immediately grimaced, then assumed a relaxed, neutral expression. "Good morning, Rose."

"Good morning, Mr. Wilde. According to your chart, I'm supposed to reintroduce you to solid food." Her voice was light and cheerful, but she wasn't smiling. "But if you'd rather sleep-"

"I wasn't sleeping, and don't you dare leave." The fox carefully opened and closed his mouth several times, stretching his freshly healed jaw. Then he sat up in his bed. The nurse rolled a tray over and positioned it in front of him. He saw a small plate on the tray, and on the plate was a slice of...

"Blueberry pie?"

"If you'd prefer something else, I can check with the kitchen." Still no smile. Nick knew the nurse was up to something.

"No, this is... perfect. Thank you, Rose." He picked up the fork, took a bite of the pie, and then closed his eyes, savoring the sweet fruity flavor and the tender flaky crust. "Mmmm... This is amazing! Are you sure this is hospital food?"

"Is it food served in a hospital? Yes, yes it is."

His eyes shot open and he saw Judy standing next to Rose. The bunny was wearing her ZPD uniform, although her leg was still encased in a canvas brace. In her paws, she held a pink bakery box. Both Judy and Rose sported huge grins.

"Carrots!" Nick grinned, then suddenly relaxed his face. He struggled for a moment to keep his muzzle relaxed, but finally just grinned back at her.

Judy said, "I figured your first solid food in weeks should be made from my family's blueberries."

"Mmm... Thank you." Nick savored another bite.

"I'll be back for the tray when you're done, Mr. Wilde." Rose said.

"Thank you for your help, Rose," Judy said.

"My pleasure, Officer Hopps," the nurse said. Then she left.

Nick took another bite. "Mmm... This is really good." He took another bite, and then asked, "So, how was your first day back on duty?"

Judy's face fell. "Well, you know, desk duty until I'm cleared by my physical therapist, but it's... it's good to be back."

"It doesn't look like it's good to be back. What happened?"

After a moment, she spoke, her voice small and timid. "I'm sorry, Nick."

"What for?"

"I saw the security video, from the museum."

"Spoiler alert: Savage predator attacks wounded bunny, but she survives and lives happily ever after."

"This isn't funny, Nick."

"Carrots, you don't have anything to be sorry for. I was trying to kill you. You didn't kill me. You tried not to hurt me."

"I'm not so sure any more," she said, her voice again quiet.

He rolled the tray with the half-eaten slice of pie to the side and hopped off the bed. He took the bakery box from her, noted its label ("Gideon Grey's Real Good Baked Stuff"), and set the box on the tray next to the plate. Then he knelt, putting himself face to face with her.

"Okay, what's this all about?"

"In the museum, I was just scoring points, and-"

"Points?"

"Bun-Fu tournament points: kicks, punches, other strikes. Throws don't count unless... Nick, how many times did I hit you? In the museum, how many times did I hit you?"

He just stared at her. Several burning questions and clever comments would have to wait until a more appropriate time. Then Judy answered her own question.

"Seventeen. Seventeen times. And how many times did I use sufficient force to actually stop the threat?"

"Look, Judy, don't-"

"Once. Only the last kick. I landed sixteen blows, not trying to stop you, just hitting you, pounding you like a training dummy, or trying to win another stupid trophy, or... just hurting you more and more each time, like you... like you weren't even..." Her words were swept away in a flood of tears.

Nick extended his arms. "All right, get in here," he said. She collapsed into his arms. He whispered in her ear, "Thank you. I know I've said it before... Well, I've written it before, and now I'm saying it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

"For beating you up?"

"No, for..." He pulled back and looked her in the eye. "Look, Judy, when I woke up, I was afraid. I was terrified. I thought I had lost my best friend, that I had _killed_ my best friend, that I had... that I... Thank you for not letting that happen."

He shrugged. "Could you have done it better? Maybe. But you know what? You did it, and that's all that matters to me. You saved my best friend's life. You saved me from... from..." Unable to speak, he pulled her close again.

Judy smiled. "You foxes, so emotional."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

I originally wrote "A Solid Plan" as a short one-shot, but a recent review got me thinking about an epilogue. This is the result.

I borrowed "Bun-Fu" from the roleplaying game Bunnies & Burrows. But even if Judy trained in a bunny-centric martial art as part of her pre-academy preparation for being a cop, there is a significant difference between training in a martial art and actually fighting for your life. Or between training in a Bunnyburrow dojo and sparring with a rhino for the first time at the academy. Or between fighting for your life and Monday morning quarterbacking afterwards.

Thanks again to nburgin for his prepublication comments, which were extremely helpful in polishing this epilogue.


End file.
